Casino & Gambling related DVDs

DVDs in association with
Casino Royale [1967] John Huston was only one of five directors on Casino Royale, the expensive, all-star 1967 spoof of Ian Fleming's 007 lore. David Niven is the aging Sir James Bond, called out of retirement to take on the organised threat of SMERSH and pass on the secret-agent mantle to his idiot son (Woody Allen). The amazing cast (Orson Welles, Peter Sellers, Deborah Kerr and others) is wonderful to look at, but the film is not as funny as it should be, and the romping even starts to look mannered after a while. The musical score by Burt Bacharach, however, is a keeper. --Tom Keogh, Amazon.com List Price: £15.99 Our Price: £7.99 You Save: £8.00 (50%) Used Price: £9.99 Availability: Usually dispatched within 24 hours Order Classification: Starring: Peter Sellers, David Niven, et al. Director: Joseph McGrath, Robert Parrish, Edition Details: • Region 2 encoding (Europe, Middle East & Japan only) • PAL, Widescreen
Casino [1995] Director Martin Scorsese reunites with members of his GoodFellas gang (writer Nicholas Pileggi; actors Robert De Niro, Joe Pesci and Frank Vincent) for a three-hour epic about the rise and fall of mobster Sam "Ace" Rothstein (De Niro), a character based on real-life gangster Frank "Lefty" Rosenthal. (It's modelled on Wiseguy and GoodFellas and Pileggi's true crime book Casino: Love and Honour in Las Vegas.) Through Rothstein, the picture tells the story of how the Mafia seized, and finally lost control of, Las Vegas gambling. The first hour plays like a fascinating documentary, intricately detailing the inner workings of Vegas casinos. Sharon Stone is the stand out among the actors; she nabbed an Oscar nomination for her role as the voracious Ginger, the glitzy call girl who becomes Rothstein's wife. The film is not as fast-paced or gripping as Scorsese's earlier gangster pictures (Mean Streets and Good Fellas) but it's still absorbing. And, hey--it's Scorsese! --Jim Emerson List Price: £19.99 Our Price: £18.99 You Save: £1.00 (5%) Used Price: £7.98 Availability: This title is currently on order. We are usually able to dispatch it within 1-2 weeks. Order Classification: Not for sale to persons under age 18. By placing an order for this product, you declare that you are 18 years of age or over. Starring: Robert De Niro, Sharon Stone, et al. Director: Martin Scorsese, Edition Details: • Region 2 encoding (Europe, Middle East & Japan only) • PAL, Widescreen
Casino Lights '99 [1999] Contemporary jazz, smooth jazz, jazz lite: call it what you will, Casino Lights 99 will fulfil any taste you may have for that kind of funky, groove-oriented instrumental music (with a couple of vocals thrown in for good measure). Filmed at Switzerland's Montreux Jazz Festival in 1999, the concert (also available on CD) features some of the genre's best players, like pianist Bob James and guitarist Larry Carlton, both of whom appear with their own bands, backing other musicians, and with their group Fourplay. Also on hand are keyboardist George Duke, saxophonists Kenny Garrett, Boney James, Kirk Whalum, and Mark Turner, and trumpeter Rick Braun. The performances are all good; these fellows can play, and singers Kevin Mahogany and Gabriela Anders are no slouches either. The problem lies in the material. Aside from Miles Davis's "Four" (played by Fourplay), the standard "Old Folks" (Turner), and a couple of others, most of what passes for tunes is little more than riff-heavy, melody-free jamming--and that includes two hoary classics, Eddie Harris's "Cold Duck Time" (played here by Carlton) and Herbie Hancock's "Watermelon Man" (the closing number, played by just about everybody). The simple truth is that listening to (and watching) some guy get down with his funky horn again and again gets old over the course of two hours. But then, perhaps you had to be there. --Sam Graham, Amazon.com List Price: £19.99 Our Price: £18.99 You Save: £1.00 (5%) Availability: This title is currently on order. We are usually able to dispatch it within 1-2 weeks. Order Classification: Exempt Starring: Rick Braun, Boney James, et al. Edition Details: • Region 2 encoding (Europe, Middle East & Japan only) • PAL